Shown is a small church in northwest Perry County, AL that was redesigned and rebuilt by four students from Auburn University’s Rural Studio at Newbern, AL. It was named among the top 100 best designs in the world by New York-based Metropolitan Home magazine.
A church leader approached Rural Studio about the possibility of rebuilding the Antioch Baptist Church. This request became a 2001-02 thesis project for four Rural Studio architecture students. The existing building had major foundation problems and was sagging, so the students made the decision to replace it. They used all of the salvageable materials from the original church in the construction of the new church. This included roofing and floor joists, wood wall paneling, tongue and groove boards and exterior corrugated metal. Almost 75 percent of the materials from the original building were used.
The new 800-square-foot church building is wrapped in glass and metal. It has a dramatic sloping roof, held up by hand-built composite metal and wood trusses, which form a retaining wall and water diverter next to the cemetery. The main view from the sanctuary of the church is through a horizontal window that allows the congregation to be at eye level with the graveyard.
This church is located in a remote area in the northwest corner of Perry County (Antioch Baptist Church – Google Maps).
Source: www.cadc.auburn.edu/rural-studio/antiochchurch/.